Dark Waters: Recall
by LucJig
Summary: There was so much that went untold. Their strengths lay in their identities, and when the darkest one of all came to steal their virtues, they were hardly prepared for the pain to follow. The DigiDestined are forced to face old fears and new vices in their most vicious battle.
1. Laughter

_I would like to welcome you to my new story, but this technically isn't a new story. It's a revamp of my previously completed work, Dark Waters. For a while now I've been tossing around the idea of a rewrite in order to make up for quite a few areas I feel I fell short on during the original story. For those who haven't read Dark Waters, I don't recommend you do until this has been completed. For those who have... look forward to an epic revamp, but also be on the look out for certain passages that made the cut and have been kept from the original text. They'll be few and far in between. _

_With that being said, read on and enjoy!_

_Rated PG-13 for violence throughout, mild language, and strong thematic material (a step up in intensity from the original)._

_Recall initiated. _

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><p><span><strong>Laughter<strong>

_I remember the sound of laughter…_

An indignant voice rose over the dying cackles. "Okay, okay, guys! It's not that funny!"

"Can you blame them, Davis?" A softer tone came in reply. "Even I didn't expect you to actually trip on the ball."

"Maybe I did it as a joke," Davis replied, picking himself up and brushing off. "Ever think of that?"

A younger boy walked over. "I would think that kind of joke is a little beyond you."

"Put a sock in it, Cody, would ya?" Davis said, casting a glower at the kid. Cody only gave him a smile, while Yolei next to him began to crack up once more. "What are you two even doing here?"

"Well jeez," Yolei said, composing herself. "We come to say 'see you later' and that's all you have to say?"

"Gimme a break, you all just showed up and started laughing!"

Davis was given only more laughing as a response, to which he reddened.

"Okay, fine! Be that way. See you around."

The two turned and ran off the fields, Cody turning once to call back. "Good luck in practice today!"

"Watch your step!" Yolei added.

Davis glared down at the offending soccer ball as the two left. He delivered it an angry strike, sending the ball reeling towards the goal. Ken, serving as goalie, defended with ease.

"Take it easy, Davis," said Ken.

"I know, I know. Some people are just too good at getting on my nerves."

Ken kicked the ball back at Davis to give him another shot. "Just think of it as them getting you fired up for today."

Davis grinned. "Well, if you say so."

He lined up the ball for a shot, and examined Ken's stance within the goal. Davis strode forward from the left. Normally, he would have feigned shooting towards the right, and then hook the ball in the opposite direction. Ken was too smart for that though. Davis followed through as he struck the ball towards the right, smiling as Ken fell the other way. The goalie corrected his mistake with prodigious speed, planting his feet and launching himself in front of the ball. His body stretched out to full length as he strained to save the goal. He managed to tip the soccerball just enough for it to go soaring above and beyond the net.

Davis stomped his foot in frustration as Ken fell face first in the turf. "How do you do that, man?"

Ken smiled meekly as he picked himself up. "That was a great move. Almost got me."

Though he might not be as quick as the Rocket Ichijouji once was, Ken was still quicker on his feet than the average player. No one would let him forget it, though all he ever responded with was a small, embarrassed thanks. He was too modest for his own good. Davis knew that if he ever managed to score on Ken, he could score on anyone in all their matchups for the year. Fortunately for him, Tamachi wasn't on the schedule.

Ken had retrieved the ball to give Davis another try. This time, he drove the ball wide to the left, seemingly beyond reach of the goal. However, he had put just enough spin to it that the ball began to pull inward. A normal goalie might have let it go, but Ken followed all the way through to the post. He was there in time to make the save, earning another bout of frustration from his friend.

"You're crazy, man!" Davis yelled, smacking his hands together.

The goalie tossed the soccer ball back to him. "Look on the bright side. You—"

"I won't have to play you. I know!"

Ken laughed softly, "No, that's not it. Think about it. If you're doing this good now, think about when you're actually playing with the team. I'm sure you'll have plenty of chances to score easily."

Davis straightened up, his face brightening. "Can't go wrong, can I?"

"No…" Ken said slowly, and then shrugged. "Not in soccer."

"Now whaddaya mean by that?!" The gogglehead bellowed in mock offense. Ken took a few steps forward, holding up his hands as if in an effort to calm his friend. In return, Davis drop kicked the soccer ball and sent it high over Ken's head. Out of instinct, the goalie leapt up to at least tip it, but the ball went right over his fingertips. Normally, this would have meant the soccer ball was on a course to go over the goal and out of bounds, but with a trick kick, Davis had managed to put a certain special spin on the strike. The ball dropped sharply out of the air and landed in the net.

"GOAL!" Davis shouted, thrusting a fist in the air. Ken was smiling wide at his friend's jubilee.

"Nice shot! …Cheap shot."

"Hey," Davis countered, pointing to a spot on the field. "You snuck up too far, man. That's all on you."

"I know, I know," Ken gave a laugh. "You feel ready for practice?"

"You know it!" The gogglehead exclaimed as the two watched other players filter onto the fields and prepare for warmups. Davis was the first to notice a very familiar brunette arriving on the field. She was heading their way. "Hey! Kari!"

She waved back as she came up to the two. "Hi, guys!"

"Come to watch me beat Ken?" Davis grinned.

"Actually," Kari said, glancing around. "Do you know where TK is?"

The gogglehead had to force himself not to roll his eyes. He should have figured as much. All that he expressed instead was a shake of the shoulders. "Haven't seen him. Doesn't he have a basketball thing today?"

Ken confirmed, "Yeah, there was a meeting for the team right after school. They should be out soon by now."

"Okay," said Kari. "Can you guys meet me after school tomorrow?"

"Yeah!" Davis' face lit up.

But then Ken walked over and gently rapped a knuckle on his head. "We'd love to, if we could."

Davis threw his hands in front of him, palms up. "And why wouldn't we?!"

"Did you lose your practice schedule?" Ken asked.

"Practice…" Davis said, remembering the upcoming dates. "Aw man…"

Kari giggled, "That's okay. It doesn't have to be tomorrow."

"We're good on Wednesday, though, if that's alright," said Ken.

"Sure!" Kari smiled, and turned to leave. She paused momentarily to ask over her shoulder. "Have either of you seen Yolei or Cody?"

"Just missed 'em," replied Davis. "They went home a few minutes ago."

"Okay. I'm going to see if they can come too."

"Want us to tell TP when he shows up?"

The girl cast one more smile their way, and put a finger to her lips and shook her head. Davis and Ken watched her confusedly as she trotted off.

"That's a first," said Davis.

Ken nodded, humming his agreement.

Kari, meanwhile, hurried out of the fields and onto the sidewalk, following the route she knew her other two friends had taken. She wasn't in any real rush, but Kari walked at a brisk pace in hopes of catching Yolei and Cody before they reached their apartment building. She found them at the end of the block, just before the crosswalk light went green.

"Hey, Kari!" Yolei said, noticing her the moment she filed in next to them.

"Are either of you busy on Wednesday after school?"

Cody nodded, "I have a lesson with my grandpa."

"Well, I'm free," said Yolei. "What're you planning?"

"Just a little meeting. Is there any other time this week you can come, Cody?"

"No," the boy replied. "I've got a lot going on, sorry."

"It's okay," Kari said, and began to pick her pace back up.

Yolei called at her as she hurried off. "What're we meeting about?"

"I'll tell you later!" Kari replied. She moved past the apartment building where the Inoue's convenience store was based and soon arrived at the tennis courts in Rainbow Park.

After a short scan of the area, Kari let her shoulders slump. She intended to meet Sora here and invite her as well, but it looked like her older friend had other things to do. Kari headed home, deciding to send out the rest of her invitations via email.

It was late October, but the seasons had, so far, refused to change. The days remained sunny and warm, warranting the hundreds of children on Odabia to rush down to spend happy school afternoons on the beach. This week was the beginning of the sports season for most of the schools in the area, but though the amount of kids on the waterfront park had decreased, the overall attitude of the island remained high and bright.

Kari was walking leisurely at the moment, letting herself relax now that there was no one else she wanted to see before everyone went their separate ways for the evening. She enjoyed the warmth of the stubborn late summer, knowing in the back of her mind that autumn would be just around the corner, arriving with November.

It wasn't a sad thought. November had its own share of things to enjoy. TK's birthday was the first date to come to mind, and that was exactly what she had wanted to meet with her fellow DigiDestined about. They never had the chance to celebrate his 13th last year, since he was on a trip with his mother. Kari was in the midst of orchestrating a huge surprise party for this year to make up for that. Her first step was getting whoever she could together to talk about what they should even do. Kari wasn't about to put all her money on the surprise aspect of it, however. Knowing TK and how close he was to everyone, chances are he would find out about it long before the event.

Gradually, Kari arrived at her apartment complex, and proceeded to thoughtlessly march up the last few flights of stairs to her home. Upon opening the front door, she was greeted by the din of her mother in the kitchen and the television in the living room. Only Tai would have the TV on that loud, which confused Kari as to why he was home so early. She had assumed he would be at some soccer practice like Ken and Davis. She made her way through the entryway, poking her head into the kitchen as she passed.

"I'm home, Mom."

"Welcome back, sweetie! Did you have a good day?"

"Yep, just fine."

"Oh, good. Fried banana casserole's almost out of the oven. Hope you're hungry!"

Kari was already out in the living room. She dropped her backpack off in her room on the way, and came to check on Tai. He lay sprawled out, feet up on the back of the couch, barely even making an effort to face the TV save for moments where he heard something that caught his interest. He was a touch more lazy than she normally found him.

"Rough day, Tai?"

"Mm," he grunted, hardly acknowledging her.

"Are you busy Wednesday afternoon?"

"M-mm," Tai replied with a barely noticeable shake of the head that Kari interpreted as a no.

"Want to meet up with everyone in the park after school?"

This time was a shrug and an affirmative, "Mhmm."

Kari left him at that, knowing that Tai was prone to get cranky if anyone bothered him too much when he was tired. She returned to her room and proceeded to unpack her things and sort out her homework for the evening. Before she started however, Kari pulled out her D-Terminal and got to work on a group email to her older friends. She didn't invite Mimi to their little meeting, but Kari definitely kept in mind to ask for her input.

The answers from the others came quickly – it was that ideal time of evening where the student world was transitioning from school activities to dinner, and later, homework. That time of day where seemingly everyone was checking their emails and cell phones.

Sora was a yes. Joe, surprisingly, was a yes as well. Izzy had a club meeting that afternoon – such activities had recently kept him out of the DigiDestined loop. Fortunately enough, the DigiWorld was in a time of calm, so there was no need for everyone to rally together. Kari was happy enough with those who could come. Matt's reply came last; he was unavailable.

Six DigiDestined in all for Wednesday. Kari decided not to push the matter any further.

Mrs Kamiya's notorious dinner was ready soon afterwards, and once that was finished, the siblings settled in for the average night of homework. It wasn't a late night, but most of their evening was spent poring over textbooks, taking turns at the computer, Tai yelling at a malfunctioning printer. A soft breeze flowed through a partially open window, complementing the upbeat music that the siblings kept playing through the majority of their working hours.

Kari finished her homework first, and proceeded to spend a relaxing few minutes on the balcony with Gatomon. Though their apartment didn't have the best view of the sunset, Kari did enjoy watching the clouds overhead change color throughout the twilight hours. Only now, in late October, the sun was already far below the horizon. She leaned forward with her elbows crossed over the railing, while Gatomon perched on the thin bar right next to her. They watched the last edges of light slip off the clouds and release the stars to shine.

"You okay, Kari?" Gatomon said suddenly.

Kari looked straight at her partner. "Of course. Why would you ask that?"

Gatomon swivelled her head around, as if searching for something in the surrounding cityscape. "Just checking, I guess."

"Everything's going fine," Kari smiled at her digimon. "I appreciate it."

Gatomon nodded back. "I've been feeling like things are a little off recently, but it's probably nothing if you're not sensing it."

"I wouldn't know about that," Kari said, slightly flattered. She paused a moment, reminiscing, trying to recall anything seemingly out of place or ill at ease. Nothing came to mind, but it was nice to know her digimon was still sharp on the lookout. "Thanks for checking, Gatomon."

The white cat hopped down from the railing. "If everything's cool, then, I'm going for a nap."

Kari followed her inside, and locked up the balcony doors for the night. Once she drew the blinds, Kari retired to her room. Tai sat at their desk, sitting low over a thick textbook with a face that was either half confused or half asleep. Kari smiled to herself, knowing that though dusk had long since fallen, their bedtimes were still a few hours away. Tai was usually as animated as his hair until around ten o'clock, despite their mother always egging him to get in bed no later than nine. He was two hours too early to be dozing off now.

She stepped into the room and began shuffling through her things, packing up homework and organizing her backpack. Kari had no subtlety in her actions, thinking that perhaps her noise would wake Tai up some. She glanced over at him just in time to see him drop his head in a painfully obvious nod.

"Are you alright?" She said.

Tai sat back and rubbed his eyes. "Y'know how many times Mom has asked me that in the last couple hours?"

His voice was filled with pure exhaustion, and Kari caught no trace of annoyance or irritation. She apologized anyway, but Tai shrugged it off.

"Whatever, I'm almost done."

Kari pulled her backpack up over one shoulder and walked out to put it by the front door. She stopped for an instant and stuck her head back in the room. Tai had returned to his first position – elbows on table, palms to his forehead, staring with wide, unseeing eyes at the book in his lap.

"Tai, I'm getting some milk, how about you?"

She saw him attempt to blink the sleep out of his eyes. "Uh-huh."

"Chocolate?"

"…sure."

The younger Kamiya trotted over to place her bag in the entryway, and then proceeded to the kitchen. After a short moment of leafing through the contents of the fridge, shoving aside the potato juice and parsley soda, she retrieved the milk and chocolate syrup. A couple minutes of pouring and stirring, and she returned to her and her brother's room with the refreshments.

This time around, Kari was positive that Tai was asleep. She set the glass down next to his head. "Here you go, Tai."

He started awake, and for a moment looked like he was trying to focus on something in front of him, though nothing was there but a darkened window. He groaned and started slapping his cheeks. "Man, I thought I was in class for a sec."

Kari laughed shortly. "Nope, not here."

He noticed the glass in front of him, and let out a tired sigh. "Thanks, Kari."

"You're welcome," she replied as she walked over and sat on the lower bed. "How much more do you have?"

Tai flipped through a couple pages and scanned each side. "Just another page. I don't think I'm gonna remember any of this tomorrow."

"Skim through it, then."

"Not as good at that as you are."

Kari smiled as she took a swig of her drink. "What subject is that?"

"History."

"So all you have to do is remember dates, people, and what they did."

Tai whined, "That's a lot." He looked over at her with a pouting face.

"Then look it over a couple times before class," she replied with a giggle.

A groan. "Y'know what, I'm speed-reading the rest. No use staying up if I'm just gonna be dozing the whole time." Tai gulped down half his milk and set to his final stretch. Shortly, a page flipped, and he took another drink. Kari grinned as she watched his eyes dart to and fro, knowing he probably wasn't learning much at all in this moment. She couldn't blame him though. It had been some time since she'd seen him this tired. One more page, one last guzzle, and Tai finally slammed his book shut. "Okay, I'm hittin the sack."

He stumbled out of the room and into the bathroom to make a measly effort to wash off for bed. Kari finished the last of her own glass of milk and grabbed his on the way to the kitchen. She returned to their room to find Tai already collapsed on the bottom bunk, fast asleep. Kari shook her head in wonder, not able to recall the last time he went to bed ahead of her. She noticed Gatomon snoozing on the top bunk as well. Both brother and partner down for the count. Kari sighed and decided to get herself ready for bed too, with the intent of curling up with a book for the next hour. Yet, after she was all washed and changed and under the covers with Gatomon at her feet, Kari felt the weariness fall over her.

Only one thing kept her from falling asleep right there, and that was the sudden rush of cold in the room. Neither Gatomon nor Tai seemed to react at all to it, but to Kari it felt like the breeze from the still-open window had rushed right under her blankets. Shivering, she rolled the covers off and climbed out of bed to close the window. She stared out over the sparkling skyline for a few moments longer, but didn't see or sense anything out of place. Kari looked over at Tai who was flat on his stomach. Not only was he still on top of his covers, but he hadn't even changed out of his clothes.

The clock on her desk read 8:30 by now, and Kari decided it would be best to follow her brother and get in bed. She climbed up the short ladder and bundled up under the covers. The heaviness on her eyes pulled her straight into a deep sleep.

And yet, after only a few moments, another chill ran through her. Kari's eyes fluttered open, and she pulled the blankets close to her face as she lifted her head to look at the digital clock. 11:47. Her eyes narrowed. It certainly didn't feel like she had slept a wink during those three hours. Kari noticed the lower panes on the window had fogged up, telling her that the temperature outside had dropped considerably. It was strange, knowing how summer-like the entire week had been. Kari's eyes felt heavy still, and she let her head drop back to the pillow for a second try to get some rest.

It only felt like ten minutes, but the next time she checked, the clock read 5:54. Kari groaned softly as she lay back down. She didn't particularly enjoy waking up before the alarm, but it was as much a blessing as it was a curse. She would be awake to hear the alarm go off within the next few minutes, and have the rare opportunity to hear Tai fall out of bed and crawl across the floor in a panicked attempt to shut it off. Then came the bonus content containing a string of unkind, though not obscene, words that Tai had prepared for the digital timekeeper. Kari peered over the edge of the bed at him just in time to see him slap the snooze button with an attitude that made the whole affair seem very personal.

He stood there, leaning heavily on the desk as Kari sat up in bed and rubbed her eyes.

"It's too early for this," muttered Tai.

"How're you feeling?"

"Tired."

"Same," Kari replied mournfully. This was going to be a long day.

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><p><em>I'll be taking my time with this story, updating when I can. So don't expect the daily chapters like how I did with the first installment. <em>

_Hope you guys will stay with me for the long haul, welcome aboard!_

_til next time._

_PS - Two Pair might eventually be put on hiatus, since this is a prequel. Wouldn't want to spoil anything now, would we?_


	2. School Days

_Spent a good time writing and rewriting different segments of this over the past week, and decided to get it up now so we can get on with the story. I think from now on I'm going to leave the gist of the author's note at the end of the chapter._

_read on!_

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><p><span><strong>School Days<strong>

_It was like we were invincible..._

Fog lay heavily upon the island. Dawn arrived to reveal a city coated in a frosty grey. The sun would be rising shortly, but few would be awake to see the thaw that would commence the instant daylight broke over the horizon. The thousands of icy patterns that drew across every glass surface would thin and melt away within minutes. It was too fast to be natural. By the time the city began to hum and whir with life, the frost of the night was gone and forgotten. Another summer-like day was underway.

Kari was one of the few who remembered the cold. Whereas most who were up during the night hours were busied with late shifts and all-nighters for homework, she was kept up simply because she couldn't keep warm. The cold sensation may have departed with the rising of the sun, but she very clearly remembered the chill. Autumn was certainly on its way.

She had left home much earlier than usual this time. There was no real reason why. Perhaps she would wake up a bit more if she spent more time walking to school. Perhaps she could get a little shut-eye before class if she got there early enough. Perhaps she could spend some time walking along the waterfront park, despite the absence of a sunrise view. Occasionally, Kari could catch a glimpse of the eastern sky through the buildings on her right. Of course, being that Tokyo was on the eastern coast of Japan, she could easily take a short train ride to the underdeveloped island south of Odaiba and earn a spectacular view of the sunrise. If only time would allow. She wasn't _that_ early.

At length, Kari arrived at the junior high school, but right before she was about to enter the main building, she spotted a figure entering the gym that stood adjacent. He was a blond, and that was a dead giveaway. There weren't many light-haired boys at the school. She hurried after him and into the gym.

She hesitated an instant upon entering, wondering what to do if say, perhaps, he was in the boys' locker room. It wasn't the ideal setting for her to barge in on him, even with the lack of other students. Presently, however, the sound of doors rattling shut and the echo of a bouncing basketball told her he had gone straight to the court. Kari trotted down the main hall and around the corner to where she knew the entrance of the court to be.

A few bounces, a pause, and then the sound of nylon scraping on leather. Kari opened the door as the ball dropped through the hoop and towards the floor.

"Swish," she said. Her voice was soft, but it carried in the large empty court. The blond boy spun to face her with a startled look. "Nice shot, TK."

He gave her a relieved smile. "'Morning, Kari."

Letting the door close behind her, Kari stepped in. "You're here early."

"Yeah... A bit too early, honestly," TK said as he retrieved the ball and continued dribbling. "I thought you might've been some teacher coming to kick me out."

Kari watched as he strode towards the basket and delivered a smooth lay in. TK turned his attention to her as he followed the bouncing ball.

"What about you?"

"I woke up too soon." Kari walked over to some open bleachers and took a seat. A rather cold, uncomfortable seat. She brought her arms to herself a little tighter than she intended. "Couldn't get back to sleep so I just got ready and came."

TK dribbled the ball over, and then sat down next to her. "Have a bad night?"

"Not really..." It amazed her how concerned he suddenly got. Kari didn't try very hard to keep eye contact with him, but his body language spoke volumes. He was leaned forward, elbows on his knees, giving himself an optimal view of her expression. The basketball was being silently spun on the floor between his feet by his anxious fingers. Kari shook her head. "It wasn't anything terrible. I just didn't sleep through the whole night."

"Anything keeping you up?"

"Does Tai's snoring sound like a good excuse?" Kari was trying her hardest to reassure her friend. No reason to get him all stressed out over nothing.

For the moment, it worked. TK grinned and sat back. "Yes it does. That's rough."

"It usually doesn't bother me, but…" Kari thought back to the events of last night, remembering how exhausted her brother had been. "He was a lot louder than normal. Tai was really tired last night for some reason."

"I wonder why," said TK, half-amused and half-sarcastic. "Matt's been complaining a lot recently about homework and extra projects. I hate to tell you this but it looks like Tai's a better procrastinator than Matt."

That much was true, she knew. Kari remembered the late night Tai had on Sunday, having blown the rest of the weekend on everything but homework. The lack of sleep then must have hit Tai hard yesterday.

TK picked himself up and nudged the basketball into the air with his toe. He dribbled backwards onto the court, still facing Kari. He held the ball forward in an invitation. "Wanna shoot some?"

Kari shook her head with a smile. The sudden tension that had settled upon TK only moments before was now non-existent. As usual, talking about Tai's antics, or lack thereof, was enough to cheer them up anytime. She stood, backpack slung off one shoulder. "Unlike you, I prefer not to show up to class all sweaty."

"Oh, thanks a lot." TK rolled his eyes, but continued his practice anyway. "See you in there."

At the door, Kari turned her head to him one more time. "Don't be late!"

"Yes, Mom. Don't worry." TK continued shooting without skipping a beat, though she could see the smallest grin on his face that carried a hint of mischief.

Kari shot him her best glare before departing and heading back to the courtyard. There still weren't many kids at the school yet, but she saw one of the first waves of them approaching from a few blocks down the street. Kari entered the main building and made her way to her homeroom. She was rather happy now for coming to school early, even if only to meet up with TK for a few extra moments. It was strange seeing him here so soon, however. Kari had known TK to always be quite a bit later when coming to school. Sometimes he wouldn't arrive until mere minutes before the final bell. She wondered if maybe he had experienced the same type of night she had, and slightly regretted not asking while she was in the gym.

The homeroom teacher was already at his desk when she arrived. Upon her entering, he lifted his attention from the piles of paperwork before him and flashed her a bright smile. "Good morning, Miss Kamiya!"

"Hello, Mr Touchika," Kari replied simply as she walked to her desk.

"It's not often you're the first one in class," Touchika said. He seemed to not be too preoccupied with his work, and Kari knew him to usually prefer conversation to kill time.

"Just had an early start, that's all." Kari took a seat and began organizing her things for class.

The teacher leaned back in his seat. "Ah… Must be the time switch getting to you, am I right? Daylight savings changes always mess me up. Or maybe the weather? I heard this morning that meteorologists are warning everyone about…" He went on, and Kari nearly zoned him out.

There was a balance between too standoffish and too friendly. Most teachers she had over the years stood on either extreme; and more often than not, TK was there to make some crack about them reminding him of Ogremon. He did it every year, no matter who the teacher was or how they looked. Touchika however, with his heavily graying hair, shiny blue eyes, and uniquely large smile, fit the description better than any teacher Kari had in the past. The only thing that was missing was Ogremon's appetite for conflict. But what this man had instead was an unreal enthusiasm for talking. Kari would oftentimes spot Touchika in the lunchroom, chatting it up with the cafeteria ladies, absorbing as much gossip as he possibly could. She knew he had no problem with her keeping quiet and letting him do all the talking.

At length, Touchika finally wrapped up his monologue. "…and that's why you really don't want to get the flu. This year especially."

"Thanks, Mr Touchika. I'll remember that." Kari said, just as the first batch of other kids arrived in the classroom. Knowing that the teacher would now be preoccupied with talking to the newcomers, Kari let her mind drift out the window. She was still exhausted by all standards, but there was no time left for a nap. Letting her brain go blank was the closest thing to resting that she was going to get.

Presently, Kari came to realize that most of the seats in the classroom were filled, save for the one next to her and a few towards the back of the room. School would be starting in less than five minutes. She sighed. TK was going to do it again.

Touchika eventually stood to address the class – he usually started a few moments before the school bell. "Now everyone, before we get started, I would like to—"

He was stopped short by the sliding doors to the homeroom being flung open. A very flustered boy rushed in and clumsily made his way to his seat. TK arrived only seconds after him, calmly closing the door behind him.

"Akira! Takashi! You boys almost gave me a heart attack!" Touchika exclaimed.

TK bowed, subtly mimicking the flamboyant manner in which the teacher spoke. "So sorry sir! Won't happen again, sir!" Snickers rose up from around him.

Kari dropped her face into her hands for a moment while TK easily slid into his seat. If Touchika was offended by TK's response, he didn't let on in the slightest as he spoke. "Children, I might have to remind you of the importance of being on ti—"

Touchika was interrupted again, this time by the ringing of the school bell – the official start of classes. It was as if the bell was reminding the teacher that the boys were technically on time. He shut his mouth and picked up a small stack of papers on his desk.

"Roll call."

And so the class went on. Another normal beginning to a school day. Kari waited until Touchika was underway with his first lecture before turning to TK. He looked tired – more tired than he would normally be after playing basketball. Despite him wearing a hat by tradition, she could see that he wasn't the least bit sweaty.

"Thanks for showering this time," she whispered to him.

The teacher had turned from the chalkboard, having finished writing up some notes for the class. TK could respond with little more than a sideways grin at her.

Life was good for Kari in these days. She was secure and safe, and knew not to take that for granted. Her family was stable, her education stable, her friendships were stable – and she took care to stay away from any unneeded drama. There was a lot of that at the school already. More than once in this school year alone, Kari had spent several afternoons at a nearby café with Yolei, letting the older girl rant about happenings with other kids. Cody, despite being as bright as he was, would sometimes come to Kari or TK for advice on different facets of adjusting to middle school. Even Davis would come and bring his "horror stories" to her, which would usually end up with him babbling on about injustices on the soccer field. Kari always just played along, and earned herself a school-wide reputation for being a good listener. Nothing more, but nothing less, and she was comfortable with that. She only wished TK would open up about himself more often. He would give his input; he contributed to the room just by being there. However, Kari realized, he was talking less and less about himself and his life. He seemed happy enough, never complaining, always encouraging, so Kari let him be.

Every now and again, the DigiDestined would have a get together outside of school, if only to touch base or, for some, to go out for pizza. They were all going through phases that normally might have kept them out of touch, but with a poignant effort, they were able to see each other reasonably often. Joe was progressing rapidly through school. Sora was essentially apprenticed to her mother's line of work. Matt had nearly fallen off the map. Izzy was enrolling for internships wherever he found them. Mimi was in America. Tai was having a little trouble adjusting to the heavier workload of high school, but out of all of the older DigiDestined, he was the one who still stuck around the most. His adventuresome heart wouldn't let him stay away for too long; he was always checking in to see if the DigiWorld "needs another saving." For nearly two years now, the answer has been no – the Digital World is at peace.

The lunch bell rang throughout the school, and not a minute too soon. Teachers lost their audience as students piled their things together in preparation for their favorite period of the day. Everyone took advantage of this free time, visiting their friends from different homerooms, going out to dribble a soccer ball, pulling pranks. There was something about the schools in Odaiba that reeked of mischief. By the time Kari returned to her homeroom from a restroom break, the chalkboard was already missing. Just a normal day at school. She saw Davis and Yolei sitting together towards one side of the room, scarfing down their lunch. She went to join them, not failing to notice Cody had trailed her into the classroom along with a few other students. The middle school might have had its own cafeteria, but many of the kids enjoyed the tranquility of eating in theirs or their friend's homeroom. Of course, with best friends sitting together… how tranquil could it get?

It wasn't all that often, however, that they ended up eating lunch together, TK excepted. Kari suddenly had an idea of why they were all there, but she decided to feign ignorance.

"Yolei, don't you usually have a club meeting on Tuesday?" She asked.

The older girl swallowed back a mouthful of rice. "We call it a club meeting but, really all we do is eat and talk about whatever."

"Like what we do?" Davis said.

"No, there's actually a little more intellect that goes into our conversations."

"Very funny," the boy scowled.

Yolei looked back to Kari. "I'm here because I want to know what we're getting together about tomorrow. You said you'd tell us."

Cody said, "Same here. I'd like to know what I'm missing out on."

"And why we can't tell TK," added Davis for good measure.

There was no use in keeping it a secret. Kari relinquished. "I just wanted to talk about what we should do for TK's birthday. We didn't celebrate it last year so I wanted to put something together for him."

"His birthday?" Cody asked. "I thought it wasn't coming for a while."

"It's still a couple weeks away," she admitted.

"Must be some party you have in mind." Yolei scoffed.

Kari shook her head. "We don't have to plan it all out or anything. I was just thinking we could put together some ideas."

"How 'bout we just order a pizza and bring some games?" Davis said. "That's enough of a birthday party if you ask me."

"Who's party?" A fifth voice asked.

"Yours… Oh, or, well y'know…" Davis stuttered over his words, realizing his error. Somehow he had acknowledged TK without realizing it was actually TK. "Just a party, y'know man? Good times. Sports, food, hanging out. Y'know the usual get together."

His words ran together as the three who sat around him collectively groaned. Davis' face spread into a guilty grin. TK responded with his own confused smile. "What?"

Kari sighed. "Do you have any plans for your birthday this year?"

"Not really," replied the boy, shrugging.

"Nothing?" Yolei pushed. "Not going off to Europe again? America?"

TK laughed nervously, "Not that I know of. Were you guys planning something?"

"We were going to try to until Davis spilled the beans," said Cody, looking directly at the culprit while he said so. Davis glared back.

"Come off it Cody. You weren't even gonna help."

The younger boy shook his head while TK took a seat. Kari relaxed as she continued eating, as did everyone else for the remainder of the lunch break. She wasn't terribly disappointed that TK came when he did and discovered their plot. She was just happy that this was the worst thing to happen during the day. Kari knew this was a rather pessimistic way of thinking, but that was a facet of her personal role as a DigiDestined. She'd often been right about the worst things, and that in of itself was enough to jade one's mind. Yet, in these days, things were looking brighter than ever. Her friends were growing ever closer, the digimon ever dearer.

Undoubtedly, their partners were all perched in the customary nest up in the tree that stood in the school courtyard. With the DigiWorld thriving strong in a time of security, the digimon weren't needed on hand in the school. They stayed in the tree rather than run the risk of discovery by sneaking inside. That area in the tree's shade had become the younger DigiDestined's new meeting place since not needing the computer lab.

Soon, class time began again, splitting the group for the last few hours of the day. Davis, TK, and Kari had managed to land in the same homeroom this year, with Yolei one grade above them and Cody two below.

The school day continued on, and though Kari felt like it would never end, she couldn't seen to recall much if what was said, save for a few homework assignments. The lack of sleep was affecting her. She knew she wasn't missing much, but even so she kept herself awake through the next few hours. Pointless conversations… school drama… petty matters…

The final bell sounded, and the campus grounds came to life. Yolei to computer club, Cody to kendo practice, TK and Davis to their respective sports. Kari didn't think about it too much as she retrieved Gatomon from the tree and headed for home. It wasn't every week that she was the only one free for the afternoon, but a few shuffling schedules made it so. She was still on the cheerleading squad, and practices were moved to later on in the week. She was grateful for this, as now she had the time to finish her homework and hopefully get to bed early.

Kari arrived at her family's apartment without incident, but inside was quiet and dim. She flipped a few lights on as she made her way to her room. Gatomon slipped out of her backpack and into the kitchen.

Her father was at work, Tai was probably at practice, and telling from the smell of meatloaf coming from the kitchen, Kari knew her mother couldn't have been gone for too long. She opened her D-Terminal and began leafing through her email. All there was were a couple messages from classmates asking for the pages for a reading assignment. She quickly typed her answers, and just as she sent then, Gatomon called to her.

"Kari, looks like there's a note for you."

Leaving the terminal on her desk, Kari trotted over into the kitchen. There, next to the five pound loaf of meat, was her mother's handwriting scrawled on a notepad.

"_Kari,_

_I was invited to get my nails done with some friends. I'll be going grocery shopping afterwards too. Go ahead and eat when you're hungry! Love you!"_

In other words, Mrs Kamiya wasn't going to be home until later in the evening. Kari skipped dinner and dove straight into her schoolwork. The meatloaf her mother made was usually a bit too heavy for her taste anyway.

An hour and a half under the desk lamp passed with Gatomon curled in her lap. Math. There was something about sitting still and staring at numbers that almost always lulled her to sleep. However, rarely, it would trigger something in her, and only when she was overtired. A chill… and then a small, panicky quiver. It disappeared the moment she stirred and refocused on her work, and wouldn't return until long after she'd forget about it.

Presently, she heard the front door open, and Tai's voice shortly followed. "I'm home!"

Kari stopped her work to listen to the routine – door slamming shut, shoes being flung about in the entryway, bags crashing to the floor, a heavy sigh as her brother flopped down on the living room couch.

"Anyone home?" He called out again.

"In here, Tai," Kari responded.

"'Kay."

And so the evening proceeded just as it had the day before, though Tai's homework load had lessened a decent amount. They both worked until dusk, took turns in the shower, fixed up some late evening snacks, and got ready for another weary night. Kari made it to bed before Tai this time, as he was out the room talking to their mother. When he finally retired for the night, his snoring started the moment he crashed into bed. Kari lay awake on her bunk for only a few moments before drowsiness began to tug at her eyelids.

"You okay?" Murmured Gatomon. Kari lifted her head up to look at her digimon. Gatomon returned her gaze, showing Kari that she was awake and consciously asking the question.

"You already asked me that," replied Kari.

"That was yesterday. I'm asking again to be sure. I know you didn't sleep well last night."

The girl smiled at her digimon. "I'm okay. Thanks, Gatomon."

The white cat nodded and curled up into a tight ball. "It's just weird," said Gatomon. "It's been so long since anything's happened to us. I'm probably getting a little paranoid. Feels like it's been too long."

"Be careful what you wish for," Kari said with a smile as she laid her head back down. "Wouldn't want to jinx us."

"We do that a lot, huh?"

"Yeah… Good night."

"'Night Kari."

The girl finally let her eyes slip closed, and felt herself sink into a deep, deep sleep only seconds later. It was like something was pulling her consciousness right out of her body, dragging her down and into some other realm. The sensation felt along the lines of sinking into water. She felt suddenly buoyant, though that meant nothing in a realm that hardly seemed to exist. All she could see was a dark gradient rising from black depths into grayed skies. If it was a sky. Soft beams of light danced all around her, flashing along the film far above her. She was underwater.

Naturally, she would have panicked, but none of this was natural. Her mind was completely fogged, and her body was soothed and relaxed. It was almost as if she was conscious while sleep. Kari found no difficulty in breathing, though she realized that none of her attempts to move made any effect on her surroundings. She couldn't identify her body, and yet, the waters were terribly cold. Growing uneasy, Kari looked for a way to get to the surface. She lifted her head up to look at the rays of dying light, and tried to tread water and get some elevation. As hard as she moved, there was no response. She tried to hold her arms in front of her, but they wouldn't rise. Kari jerked her head down to at least confirm her body was there. It wasn't.

No lungs to make her float. No limbs to tread water. She was just a soul trapped at the bottom of the ocean.

Kari ceased her attempts to move and instead focused on the content of her surroundings. Everything was dark and bleak, save for vibrations that began to grow in the water. The quieter she became, the greater they grew. Her mind registered the vibrations as sound, and Kari strained to hear. Voices filtered through, muffled and distorted through the leagues of water in which they travelled. Kari didn't see any source, and couldn't discern what the voices came from. For all she knew, there was only one speaker. With the patience to keep still, Kari was able to focus enough to understand words drifting through the waters.

"…assault. With the Blight subdued, the barrier will weaken. Once the seal of the Chosen is broken, there is only the matter of time. And then… Our time."

The voice ended there, and its words held Kari nearly stunned. She had no idea what it referred so, save for the mention of the seal. The Chosen… the DigiDestined… broken. Whatever it meant, it didn't bode well.

A new voice came, much clearer and closer. "They are coming, Child of Light. They come to stain and scar your world."

The guttural voice was directly behind her. But before she had time to face it, a flash lit up the depths of the sea. Biting cold followed. Kari was unable to move, frozen stiff, chilled to the bone. The sea had turned to ice around her, encasing her. Kari panicked, heart thrashing, lungs pumping, limbs quivering. For a terrible moment, she was held still and powerless.

Then she was released, and her soul launched for the surface.

* * *

><p><em>Now the fun begins...<em>

_Really enjoying this pacing so far, which will probably make this story last more than twice as long as the previous. Let me know if it ever gets boring for any of you :P_

_To the guest who reviewed, thanks for the comment! When it comes to real world settings I take pride in making it as accurate as I can. Ever since finding a map of Odaiba and the likely locations where the DigiDestined live, it's been a lot of fun writing the details. _

_Anyway, I appreciate any feedback, and will work on responding more to reviewers this time around. _

_til next time._


	3. Unease

_Yes, it's been a month, and yes I can explain... but for now_

_read on!_

* * *

><p><span><strong>Unease<strong>

_We had forgotten the meaning of despair..._

"Wake up already, TK!" A shrill voice tore through the tranquility, followed by a flash of white and rush of cold.

The boy groaned, and groped blindly for his suddenly missing blankets. "C'mon Patamon…"

"You come on! One of these days luck's gonna run out and you'll actually be late for school!"

TK rolled onto his back and brought his arm across his face to shield his eyes from the morning light. "Not cutting me any slack after yesterday?

"Are you kidding? You didn't even get inside the school any earlier than usual!"

"Alright, okay," TK said groggily. He finally sat up and rubbed the last of the sleep out of his eyes. He squinted out his window, where the first rays of the rising sun were shining through. "You had to roll up the blinds?"

Patamon scoffed, "Yeah, kinda. You were sleeping like a rock so I got desperate. C'mon TK!" The little digimon fluttered forward, gripped the seam at TK's shoulder, and began tugging him to get out of bed.

The boy rolled his eyes as he let his partner pull him to his feet. TK retaliated with a playful poke to Patamon's chubby midsection. The digimon squealed and spun straight out of the room, leaving TK to get himself ready. He took his time, as a quick glance at the clock told him that he wasn't necessarily running late.

Within a half hour, TK was already out on the sidewalk moving towards the school. He felt refreshed with the good rest he had. The hard, uneasy nights that had plagued him for years now seemed to be growing fewer and farther in between, for which he was grateful. This morning felt a little more special, however. He'd had his first normal night of sleep in some time. No nightmares, no waking up to regret, no startling chills. He'd had a normal rest, with normal dreams that softly relinquished him back to the real world, though such dreams always carried a certain enchantment that kept the dreamer wanting more. It was nice to get such a peaceful night.

TK was, as usual, approaching the school with the last wave of children. He kept his eyes open for one or two of his companions as he headed over to drop Patamon off by the tree in the courtyard. He caught a small glimpse of Gatomon nestled somewhere in the branches - the glint of her tail ring was visible through a few leaves. TK smiled.

"I can see you, Gatomon."

The tail snapped out of sight, earning a small chuckle from the boy. He unzipped his backpack, and then turned to check if there was anyone to see Patamon leap into the tree. The only person headed their way was Davis, to whom TK waved. Patamon made his move and quickly concealed himself in the branches.

"Hey, Davis."

"Wha'sup, PK?" The gogglehead replied as he slipped his backpack off and retrieved DemiVeemon.

The little blue digimon beamed his greeting. "Heya, Blondie! We the last ones here again?"

"I think so," TK said, peering up through the branches to spot the other two digimon in question.

"Yeah, figured," DemiVeemon went on with his signature lisp. "Davis took so long gettin ready this mornin, his mum gave him the boot!"

"Shut up, man!" Davis growled, tossing him into the tree. "I'm not late yet!"

"Hey!" DemiVeemom called out for the split second while in mid-air. When he disappeared into the leaves, all went silent.

TK started towards the school, "Well, stay out of trouble, guys."

"You too," replied Upamon.

"We'll try!" Called Davis as he hurried after TK.

And with a poignant effort, they did just that. The two boys made it to homeroom with two minutes to spare, avoiding a lecture from their verbose teacher. TK remembered to leave his hat in his locker, avoiding a reprimand about the importance of following the dress code. Davis managed to stifle his laughter when Akira showed up late and with a strip of toilet paper dragging from his foot. Not that much was avoided there, since snickers rose from around the entire class. At least he didn't fall out of his seat this time.

At length, once Touchika's lecture was well underway, TK spared a glance aside at Kari. The absence of the scribbling of her notetaking struck him as odd. What he didn't expect was to catch her with her head in her palm and eyes half closed. TK quickly returned his eyes to the front of the classroom, not wanting to bring attention to her. Touchika had his back turned, writing something on the chalkboard, and TK used this opportunity to poke Kari on the arm. Thankfully, he didn't startle her. She stirred subtly as she refocused, and cast a soft smile at TK before turning back to the lesson at hand.

TK tried to do the same, but found himself rather concerned for his friend. He hadn't forgotten how tired she looked yesterday. She had seemed happy enough, so TK didn't let it bother him. Being exhausted was nothing new, no emergency, no reason to panic. It happened to everyone. But this was Kari. She was more diligent than the average student, so her late nights were rare. Even when they did come, she always recovered quickly, arriving at class the day after as sharp as ever. As far as TK knew, she almost never fell asleep in school.

Touchika's lecture didn't give TK much leeway to ask Kari how she was feeling. He had to wait it through, until the teacher finally wrapped up and prepared for the arrival of second period.

TK turned his body to face Kari. "Hey..."

She gave him the same gratifying smile as earlier, but didn't even try to strike up a conversation as she pulled out her things for the next subject.

"Kari, is everything okay?"

She nodded, at length. "Just tired."

"You sure?" TK wasn't satisfied with her half-hearted answer. "If you're not feeling well-"

"I'm fine," she said firmly.

TK sighed as he straightened his schoolwork. It was too early in the school day to start any drama over something he wasn't even sure needed attention. If Kari was simply tired and wanted to be left alone, then she deserved just that. It wasn't his place to chalk it up to some crazy scenario from his imagination. She didn't need him fawning over her like that. So he decided to wait it out.

Lunch time came around, but before TK could even attempt a conversation, Kari was well on her way to the cafeteria. He sat at his desk a few moments longer, at a loss of what to do. He was overreacting, he told himself. There was nothing wrong with her. She was just overtired. Maybe he was imagining things.

Davis came up behind him suddenly. "What's eating her, man?"

Maybe he wasn't imagining things.

TK faced Davis, who was sitting in Kari's now vacant seat. "She said she was tired."

The other boy slouched forward and placed his head on folded arms. "Aren't we all."

TK nodded, but his head hung. He scolded himself for worrying. No one was prefect after all. Who was he to get all hung up over Kari dozing in class? He was unaware that Davis was watching him until the gogglehead straightened up.

"Ok, dude. Leave it to me."

"Huh?"

"I'll investigate," said Davis as he stood. He shifted the goggles on his head like a detective fixing his glasses, giving his friend a confident grin. TK shook his head and laughed.

"Don't embarrass yourself."

"Oh sure, when have I ever done that?"

TK lifted his head in thought, and held his hands up. He silently began counting on his fingers. One. Two. Three. Four...

"Hey, cut it out," Davis grumbled, slapping TK's hand away. He walked towards the door. "Leave it to me, TA! I'll cheer her up in no time."

The gogglehead was out of the room before TK could respond. At that pace, Davis was running the risk of colliding into another...

"Motomiya!" There it was. An irritated teacher's voice echoed through the hall and into the classroom. "Watch where you're going, son! You've got those glasses, why don't you use them?"

"They're not glasses," Davis cried out in unbridled exasperation. "They're goggles!"

"What in Fuji do you need goggles for, young man?"

"Well..."

"Nevermind that! Just take them off. You're in uniform now, young man. Better remember that."

The conversation seemed to end there, and shortly Davis poked his head into the room. With a sullen face, he tossed his precious goggles onto his desk. His eyes then locked with TK's for a fleeting moment.

"You comin?" Davis grumbled. With a nod and a deep breath, TK dragged himself up to follow his friend into the cafeteria. At this point in the lunch period, most of the school children were gathered together in their various cliques. After a quick scan, he spotted Cody sitting with Yolei and a few members of her computer club. Davis, on the other hand, noticed Kari at the cheerleaders' table. He gave TK a short jab with his elbow before trotting over in her direction. TK watched as he made his own way towards Cody.

Kari obviously had nothing to do with whatever the other cheerleaders were conversing over. There she sat at the barren end of the table, picking at her otherwise untouched food. TK was well out of earshot in the din of the cafeteria, but he had a good line of sight to see Davis approach Kari. The gogglehead sat unceremoniously across from her, announcing his presence with a toothy grin.

Their dialogue only lasted a few moments as Davis' flamboyant gestures were countered by merely fleeting smiles. The conversation was painfully one sided, even from afar. Shortly, Kari's face fell and she uttered one last line that visibly dampened Davis' spirits. He slid off his seat and slunk away, leaving Kari to return to her meal in peace.

TK decided not to bother her at that moment, but instead took note of the time and chose to meet her on the way back to class. As the children began filtering to their respective homerooms, he fell in stride beside Kari, receiving only the same tired smile as a greeting. It seemed so forced, even for her normally reserved countenance. TK smiled back at her. There was nothing he could do if she didn't want help, but he hated that feeling of being unable to. It was as if his role among the DigiDestined revolved around him protecting and aiding the others. His own problems were only second priority next to the needs of his friends. Not that he had any legitimate problems anyway.

"Kari," TK finally spoke. He knew he was probably beginning to annoy her, so he finished as passively as he could. "If there's anything you need, let me know. Okay?"

They had arrived at their homeroom, where over half the class were in their seats noisily chattering with the last few minutes of free time. "Thanks, TK," said Kari. "But I'm fine."

They wordlessly walked to their desks, though on the way TK spotted a now confused Davis. The gogglehead's lips began to form a question in his direction, but the interrogation was cut short by the ringing of the school bell. The second half of the day was underway.

It was about as uneventful as the first half. Their only bright teachers lectured before lunch, and everything after that was dull and dry. If TK hadn't been so concerned about keeping Kari awake, he might have fallen asleep himself.

But at long last, the final hours of school came to an end. Kari was ready to leave five minutes before the bell, and when it rang, she immediately departed. Not a word spoken, not a glance given. It was almost as if she had some repelling aura about her. TK decided against going after her, and took his time at the lockers preparing to return home.

With backpack over shoulder and hat in place, TK departed to pick up Patamon. Out in the school courtyard he was surprised to not only see Davis, Ken, and Yolei, but Sora and Joe as well. TK wondered how long he had actually taken to get out of the school building; he must have lost track of time a while ago. Tamachi, where Ken still went to school, was at least fifteen minutes away across Rainbow Bridge. Not to mention how long it probably took Joe to tear himself away from his classes. What exactly were they all doing gathered together, anyway? TK approached them and came within earshot just in time to hear Davis explain something about Kari "storming off."

Sora was the first to acknowledge the newcomer. "Hi, TK."

"Hey, Sora," he replied. "What are you all doing here?"

"Kari told us to meet her here a couple days ago. Do you know where she is?"

Davis folded his arms. "I told you all already, she left. That's why Gatomon's gone, right?"

"Sure," Joe said thoughtfully. "But it's not like her to set something up and then forget."

Yolei scoffed. "Oh she didn't forget. It's just that some numb brain decided to blow up her plans."

Davis reddened, but a prolonged confused silence from their seniors forced him to confess. "Okay yeah! She was planning a party for TG here and I accidentally told him about it."

"Accidentally, sure. You accidentally told him to his face that we're planning a surprise birthday party for him." Yolei sneered, earning a small laugh from TK. He walked underneath the tree and retrieved Patamon from a low branch.

"Well, looks like you're meeting's off. Sorry you came all the way out here."

"Davis made it seem like Kari was mad," Sora spoke with a slight tone of concern. "Is that true? Is she okay?"

TK lowered his eyes as Patamon nestled into his backpack. "I don't know if she's actually mad, but today seemed like an off day for her."

"Anything serious?"

"She not feeling well?" Joe added.

TK could only give a helpless shrug. "She just wanted to be alone all day. She looked really tired, but not sick or anything."

Joe nodded. "If you say so. I guess it's not really any of our business if she wants to left alone." He turned to leave with a small smile on his face. "At least she gave me an excuse to get out of doing homework all afternoon. See you guys around."

"Bye, Joe," Sora said with a wave along with the younger kids. She faced them as she began to depart as well. "Let us know if anything comes up. We may be older and busier but we still want to know how things are going."

"Thanks, Sora," the younger children replied as she too left the school grounds.

After a few final moments, the three remaining Digidestined went their ways for the evening. Yolei walked with TK most of the way, as they lived in the same apartment complex. Not much was exchanged between the two, other than TK explaining the circumstances of Kari abandoning her own meeting. Yolei hadn't been around the others for most of the day, so news of her friend's behaviour was strange, though seemingly exaggerated.

"Don't worry so much about it," Yolei said as they reached the floor of TK's apartment. She remained on the elevator. "I'm sure it's just a short phase, TK. Kari'll be fine. See ya around."

"Later," replied TK as the doors shut. He turned to walk down the open corridor to his home. The door was unlocked, telling him his mother was already off work. He called into the apartment as he entered. "I'm home!"

"'Bout time you showed up," replied a voice that certainly wasn't his mother's. "Where do you guys keep the nori?"

TK strode into the kitchen. "Matt? What're you doing here?"

"Gee, can't a guy visit his family these days without starting an inquisition?" Matt scoffed from where he knelt on the countertop, rummaging through the highest shelves of the pantry.

TK smirked as he leaned against the kitchen doorjamb to watch his brother. "Well it's not everyday a guy comes home to find his brother searching his house for seaweed."

Matt hopped down from the counter and shut the pantry doors. His face was bleak. "You don't have any?"

"Nope." Said TK with a light-hearted shake of the head.

With a sigh, the older brother walked to the other side of the kitchen, where sat an array of food. "Well if you guys don't have nori... What am I supposed to do with all this rice and crab salad?"

"Go get some from the store?"

"Nah..."

"Eat it like a salad?"

"Meh..."

"We have tortilla chips?"

"Too American..."

TK laughed. "You make California rolls and then complain about it being too American?"

"Never made it to the roll part," Matt said with a smile. "So technically no."

"Whatever you want then," TK relinquished, and left for the living room sofa. He plopped down heavily on the cushions, letting all the tension he had gathered throughout the day finally settle. After a moment of stillness, he called out to his brother. "You never answered my question."

"Huh?" Came a short grunt from Matt.

"What's the occasion?" Matt seemed in especially good spirits this afternoon, which struck up TK's curiosity. Something special must have happened.

"Dad's out on a date tonight."

"Oh," TK replied shortly. It wasn't the most happy-exciting news he had imagined. Especially considering Matt wasn't very quick to excite about his father's relationship status. It was still a touchy subject.

"...with Mom."

TK's voice rose a little, inadvertently. "What?"

"Yeah, looks like they've been talking a little more the past month." Matt explained as he brought over a couple plates of what TK could only assume was crab nirigiri. Unconventional, but definitely Matt-style improv cooking.

"They're actually dating?" TK asked.

Matt nodded. "Dad mentioned something about starting from stratch. I guess he meant it literally."

"Whoa..."

"So I thought I'd throw in a little celebration and we just hope for the best."

"Yeah," TK mumbled, his eyes glued to the plate of food now on the coffee table. His face brightened momentarily. "I'm down for that."

Once a two second grace was recited, the brothers dug in. Matt ate freely, seemingly surprised at the quality of his own food. TK, on the other hand, had a much slower start, almost waiting for the meal to bite him back. He was still slightly scarred from previous encounters with his brother's cooking. Rice balls stuffed with crab salad. Matt had actually, successfully, salvaged a dish and made something edible. Sure, the hot sauce was present, and a little too much of it at that, but at least it didn't blow his head off like last time.

Throughout the meal, TK kept his cell phone on hand. Despite the active conversation he was having with Matt, in the back of his mind he was returning back to the issue of the day.

Kari.

TK eventually gave in and opened a message to Tai.

**How's Kari?**

A few moments later, after the boys finished eating, TK's cell rang. Tai.

"Yeah?" TK answered upon picking up the call.

"You know anything about this?" The older boy started straight out with no context, which was usually a bad sign.

"About what?"

"Don't play dumb. You asked about Kari. Don't pretend you don't think anything's going on." Tai spat out the words hard and fast.

Matt had picked up the dishes and retreated to the kitchen. TK replied, "Calm down, Tai. She was just acting a little off today. I really don't know what's going on. That's why I asked you."

"Sorry," said Tai with a deep breath. "It's… I'm just worried. She's usually hard at work and all happy this time of day, but she's been out on the balcony all afternoon. I thought it had something to do with you or Davis or someone."

"Not that I know of. She showed up super quiet and tired."

"Okay," Tai replied, his voice softening. "Thanks for checking, TK. I'll see if I can find out what's bugging her."

"Alright. Good night."

"'night."

TK no sooner hung up than Matt came storming out of the kitchen on a phone call of his own. "Now? Really? ...Yeah we've already eaten... Why do I have to- oh whatever fine. Okay! I'm on my way."

Matt slapped the end button on the call without any further words. He picked his bag up from where he stashed it behind the couch and gave TK's head a playful shove as he passed.

"Gotta go, squirt."

"Already?"

"If you want to make more, there's a lot of crab and rice left."

TK shook his head. "Where you going? Who was that?"

Matt sighed in reply as he walked to the entryway. His little brother shot up and trailed him. "Well if you must know," the older boy said. "That was Dad and he wants me home."

"You have to? Right now?"

"There's no use trying to get out of it. He sounded pissed."

His heart took an unexpected drop at that. Matt reached out and squeezed TK's shoulder as he opened the door. "Still hoping for the best, right?"

"Yeah," the younger one replied numbly. Matt stepped out into the evening and left TK with only his thoughts and mounds of leftover crab salad.

* * *

><p><em>I won't deny it...my main excuse for the delay is the new super smash bros ;P between that, job searching, and a long thanksgiving road trip<em>_, I've had my hands full the past month. I've been gradually writing this chapter though, and rereading it over and over and throwing around different ending points, adding, removing... Now it feels like when you stare at a word too long and it stops looking like a real word. I need to just get this chapter up and off my hands and move on with the story. Let me know how it's flowing for you readers! Too slow? Any suggestions for improvement would be greatly appreciated._

_til next time..._


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